What Does It Take, For You To Open Your Eyes?
by musingsofnobody
Summary: Most of the time we don't realize what we have until it's lost. In this case, what does it take for the people of tree hill to realize that what they have is important? Does it take death? Maybe an accident? Rated T, just in case. :
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH.

A/N: Out of total hate for the show, I've realized that all of them don't deserve Brooke! I'm still so mad right now. I can't even right a few words for "Dinner Turned Engagement" and I hate it! I managed to come up with this though. I know it's a little played out, but I just wanted to know what you guys think about it. It's about 4-5 parts only. Here's the first part.

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**Title:** What Does It Take For You To Open Your Eyes?

**Chapter 1**: Does It Take Death?

It had been days after the attack, yet no one seems to notice what's really happening to Brooke. Then there's Q's death. Everyone's just so devastated with it, that most of her friends missed the hand print on her arm. She's sitting on her couch, staring blankly at the fireplace. All she could think of was how to get revenge, when a knock brought her out of her thoughts.

She didn't really think of opening it at first. Try to pretend that she wasn't there. It seemed a lot like that recently, like she doesn't exist, but the person knocked once again, this time harder. So as much as she doesn't want to, she got up and opened it.

"Victoria?" The words came out of her mouth unexpectedly. To see her mother there was just, really unpredictable. Surprised couldn't have described her expression at that moment, she couldn't really place how she felt that time.

"Brooke, what happened to you?" Her eyes seemed to have grown wider. It looked like she actually cared, sounded even. Brooke however, just rolled her eyes. She ignored her mother's question. Much to her dismay, she kind of felt glad that her mother even asked what happened to her.

"Nothing." She says, just like what she told all her friends. She actually thought her mother would press her for details, but that idea went out of the window when she saw Victoria's company stealing face on.

"Whatever. I'm only here to tell you that I'll do whatever it takes to take the company." Victoria told her, then looked way past the brunette.

"You can try, but that's never going to happen." Brooke replies, trying to be brave. Bruised and all, still, here she is, fighting with her mother.

"I assure you Brooke, I can do it." Victoria threatened. When she was about to leave, Brooke felt relieved but not after what her mother said. "I see, that blonde friend of yours finally got tired of you. I wouldn't be surprised if you'll be left all alone for the rest of your life." Victoria finished and walked away.

She got so angry that she wanted to go after her mother and strangle her to death. Instead she went back in, and slammed the door as hard as she could. "Bitch!" She cursed. She didn't know tears started to fall. She felt how true at the moment what her mother had said. She's alone and no one seems to care. She said she won't cry, but there's no one else now, so she did. She broke down, cried her heart out, because in the morning, she'll have to be brave. She needs to take care of herself.

Morning came. Brooke had exhausted herself from crying the whole night. She didn't realize she fell asleep on the couch. When she looked at herself in the mirror, the puffiness of her eyes were concealed with two black eyes. If only she could conceal that too.

She put a brave face on, just like all those times she did in high school. But today, there's a difference. She's all by herself now. She doesn't even have Peyton. Suddenly, the name of her store doesn't ring true anymore, clothes over bros., buds over studs. How she wished Peyton would just sit with her so she could tell her what really happened, contrary to what she said that she fell of the stairs, in which the blonde believed and even laughed about.

She put on a black dress, the hand print on her arm visible. Nathan had asked her to come to Q's funeral. As soon as she's ready, she heard a knock on the door. Hoping it won't be her mother, she opened it. "Hi Nate." She greeted as she saw him standing outside her door. "Tough day, huh?" She says, trying to sound okay.

"I know there's a lot going on, but Haley and I are worried about you. Are you okay?" Nathan asks. It seems like that question had been asked to her a couple of times lately. Then again, black eyes don't really shout okay, do they?

"Nate, I'm fine." Brooke argues, tired of repeatedly telling them. Of course she's not fine! A guy just beat the crap out of her! How can she be fine? She wanted to tell him that, but she doesn't. Instead she just shakes her head.

"I know you have a lot of going on, but you need to talk about it. I've been there, and dealing with it alone is stupid. I don't want that for you Brooke." Nathan explains. He wasn't sure really if is he's saying the right thing.

"Nathan I'm-" She'll tell him again she's fine, but he cuts her off.

"Your fine. Yeah, that's definitely something I'd say. Look Brooke, I know how much it sucks that your parents are so not cut out for the job. I have those too remember? Just don't let it get to you. You're great on your own. You don't need their approval." He says. Brooke just forced a smile She wanted to say it wasn't about Victoria anymore, but she can't.

"They never really gave us a chance, didn't they?" She says wishfully. To this Nathan didn't say anything. Instead he hugged her. She flinched a bit, but he didn't seem to notice. She was just relieved that that was the case.

"I really appreciate you coming to the funeral. It would mean a lot to Q's family." Nathan says as he finally let go of the hug. Brooke nodded, forcing a smile to her bruised face. With that, the raven haired Scott left.

They have all agreed to meet up at Nathan and Haley's house. Everyone sat on the living room, all devastated about Q's death. Suddenly, Brooke had the urge to tell them how many people get raped and attacked. That what happened isn't really something impossible. That's when Jamie looked at her. He looked confused, and hurt. She felt her heart break. She didn't mean to scare off the kid. "I'm sorry." She says, and gets the need to excuse herself.

Lucas just looked at Brooke weirdly. He thought it wasn't the time to be going on about such things. He thought that one of his most valuable players just died and he doesn't understand why it happened to Q of all people. But not once, did it passed his mind about what happened to Brooke. Did he even notice the bruises on her face? Or was he just so torn out about Q's death?

Haley sensed there was something wrong, so she followed the brunette. She saw her standing outside by the pool. "Hey, are you okay?" She says as she rubbed a hand on her arm to comfort her friend. Thank God it wasn't the bruised one.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare Jamie off like that." Her voice was now raspier, like she was holding back her tears.

"I'm sure you didn't. Are you sure you're fine?" Haley asked again, this time, she too looked at the pool, as if wondering about all the things that happened.

"I'm fine Hales. Don't worry about me." She tells her, even though all she wanted to do was to cry and open up to her. She doesn't though. Instead she blinked back the tears and told Haley to go back inside. She never really like worrying her friends.

"You know I'm here for you right?" Haley says, and Brooke tries her hardest not to cry. She questions herself if not telling her friends would really be the right thing to do. But she also thought that maybe if they cared enough, they'd notice the hand print on her neck and arm. Slowly, she realized, maybe Victoria was right. No one really cares about her, and that she's bound to be alone for the rest of her life.

"Yeah." She simply answers, and then nods of toward the house, asking Haley to go ahead of her.

All of them finally reached the cemetery. It all seemed to much to bear for her, but for her friends, for them, she'll take it all in, because that's what she's always been. Someone who's always there for her friends. She watched how everyone mourned their loss. When it was all done an over with, when everyone finally said their goodbyes, it was time to go home.

It was then they noticed that Jamie had yet to do something. Nathan and Haley seemed to have been awful tired so Brooke offered to get the kid. She also thought it'd be a good time to apologize to Jamie for what had happened earlier. As they stood in front of the coffin, she watched Jamie cover it with the red cape.

Just when she thought she' be able to go through it without crying, that single gesture broke every defense she had. She cried, and it was a nice feeling that she had Jamie's hand to hold. Even if he doesn't even understand why tears are falling from her eyes.

Jamie watched her cry and they stood there for a minute. The little guy looked up at her and when she finally noticed she tried her best to stop. "It's okay Aunt Brooke." Jamie says, gripping her hand tighter. "What happened to Q, I won't let it happen to you." He continues and then hugs her.

That was when she finally got down and hugged him too. Tears running down faster from her face faster than they should have. "I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to scare you off earlier." She says in between sobs and she hugged the little guy tight.

Jamie ran his hand through Brooke's back. It's amazing how much relief a gesture like that could bring. From a far they could see Nathan and Haley's car. Brooke then let herself out of the hug and asked Jamie to walk to his parents because her car was parked on the other side. Jamie nodded and started walking. When Brooke saw the kid reach Nathan and Haley, she turned around and that's when tears started falling again.

"Why didn't Aunt Brooke walk you here?" Haley asked as she opened the car for her son. It was hard to see what happened between the two from their place.

"She said her car was parked on the other side." Jamie answered then continued. "She seemed really upset about what happened to Q. She was crying." He says, to this Haley looked to Nathan. Something was definitely wrong. "Don't worry momma, I told her I won't let what happened to Q happen to her." Jamie says, and with that Haley hugged him.

Karen, Lily and Andy just got back from one of their around the world trips again when they were stuck in traffic for a while, just about 20 minutes away from Lucas' house. When they passed they saw a car wreck. Andy felt sorry for whoever was driving it. It seemed impossible to survive a crash like that. Karen however, seemed torn apart by it. She heard from some people that it was a young woman. Life lost at an early age. She can't imagine if that happened to Lucas.

They drove and had ended up going to Nathan and Haley's house. To their surprise, they see all of them there. Karen almost assumed there was a celebration, if not for the sad faces and black tux and dresses. "Mom?" Lucas asked surprised to see Karen there.

"Lucas. My son, I missed you." Karen says as she went to hug him. Lilly then followed who only kept asking where Jamie and Brooke are. Haley then said Jamie's in his room and without a second, the little girl made her way towards Jamie's room.

"What happened?" Karen asks, full of concern. She then surveyed the scene and can't help but notice that there's something lacking, rather someone.

"Someone died." Karen was expecting that. She wanted however to know who it was. She almost assumed it's Brooke, but she always thought that if any of them were to pass, Brooke's would be the most devastating to all. "His name was Q. You don't know him, but he was one of our best players. He was a nice kid." Lucas continued.

"I'm sorry. I'm just glad it isn't any of you." Karen says trying not to add more sadness to each of them. She then looked to Haley who nodded, then hugged each of them for comfort. "You're all so lucky. We just passed by an accident on our way here." Karen shares.

"I also wanted to tell you something mom. I don't know if this is the best time, but Peyton and I are getting married." Lucas says. To this, Karen was surprised. A faint 'oh' escaped her lips. She's known Peyton ever since, but in her heart she's always pulled and rooted for Brooke.

"Congratulations!" She exclaims, ignoring that fact that it wasn't the brunette he's marrying after all. A few laughs were earned, but still Karen noticed it's incomplete.

When Peyton let go of the hug, Lily came out of the room with Jamie. "Lucas! Where's Brooke?" The little girl tugged on her brother's suit and looked up at him. He was then next met by Karen's questioning eyes. "Yeah, where's that pretty friend of yours?" Karen asks, addressing the question to everyone. No one seemed to know, because no one answered. That's when Jamie spoke.

"She said she was tired and said she's going to head home." He says as he held Chester with both his hands. Peyton, Nathan, Haley and Lucas looked to each other. How come not one of them know Brooke had decided to go home, while Jamie did? The answer was, because Jamie got to talk to her, and well them? They were busy with their own issues and didn't take time to really ask Brooke what happened to her.

There was an awkward silence for a while, everyone just glancing at each other. Then someone's phone started ringing. It's Lucas'. When he went to check it, an unregistered number flashed. "Who is it?" Peyton asked as Lucas held his phone in his hand.

"I don't know yet." He says as his eyebrows furrowed. He then answers the call. "Hello?" He says as everyone just watched him. He could hear sirens in the background. When the other person on the end of the line started speaking, he didn't know what to say. "No, no!" He says, refusing to believe what he's hearing.

"Lucas, baby, what's wrong?" Peyton asks, immediately clinging onto his side.

"There must've been a mistake!" He says violently, but the person at the other end insisted. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He finally says as he ended the call and ran towards the door escaping from Peyton's grasp.

"Lucas! What is it!?" Haley shouted while all the others were still surprised about his sudden outburst. He stopped briefly and looked at all of them as if all hope is lost.

"It's Brooke. There's been an accident." He says and with that, he was gone.

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So? How was it? Do you hate me now?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I can't believe that it's almost a week, and I'm still in this mad, bitter place, where I can't write happy fics! Argh. I hate this. Anyway, here's the next bit.

**Title**: What Does It Take, For You To Open Your Eyes

**Chapter 2**: Does it Take an Accident?

Her eyes felt hot due to the tears. She figured driving while crying is dangerous, but all she could think of was going home and locking herself up in her room, and maybe let everything out. She slowed down to wipe the tears in her eyes, what came next was the blaring sound of possibly a big truck's horn, that it almost deafened her. The next thing she knows everything else turned black.

"It was a young woman…" The words escaped Karen's lips like a realization. Tears started falling from her eyes as she recalled how the crash looked like.

"Momma, why is grandma Karen crying?" Jamie speaks, bringing Haley out of her spiraling thoughts. If what happened to Q had been hard to explain, how would she then explain what happened to Brooke?

"We need to get to the hospital." Karen said out of nowhere. This didn't surprise any of them though. Andy got the keys and was about to get Lily when Peyton spoke.

"I'll get her. You go to the hospital. I'll stay here with the kids." She says, telling it to everyone in the room. Haley didn't understand why she didn't want to leave with them, but she doesn't think twice before she agrees.

Nathan nodded and kissed Jamie goodbye then left to get their car. "Momma will explain it later to you honey, okay?" Haley says, trying her best to stay calm. "Uhm, just stay here with Peyton and be good, okay?" She adds as she kissed Jamie on the head. The little kid couldn't help but ask though.

"Is Aunt Brooke going to be okay?" As soon as Haley heard that, a tear escaped from her eyes, managing to hold the rest back.

"She's going to be okay honey. We need to go now." She says, and as much as she doesn't want to leave her son, she also knows she just needs to see her friend, for all their sakes.

Lucas must've beaten every speed limit there is in town. How could this be happening now? All he wanted was for everything to be okay, but then the opposite happens. He tried to recall the last time he had talked to her. To his horror, he realized it was when he left her house just after Brooke gave up Angie. He thought about why they haven't been spending time together, and that's when he realized why- because he was too busy playing house with Peyton.

He rushed into the hospital, onto the nurse's station. "Excuse me, I'm here for Brooke Davis." He says as he reached the counter. The nurse doesn't even look at him, as if he wasn't there.

"How are you related to the patient?" The nurse asks. He didn't know what to say. Shouldn't they just be bringing him to see her. He needs to see her, much more than anything.

"Where is she, is she okay? Can I see her?" He pressed, his tone getting louder each second that passed. He ran a hand through his hair, and bit on his nails a couple of times.

"How are you related to the pa-" The nurse was about to ask again, still not minding to how panicked he's being, but anger and anxiety got the better of him. "She's my fiancée!" He says. It was the first thing he thought of saying. Funny how he couldn't have said he's her brother.

The nurse must've felt his emotion that she finally looked up. He now paced in front of the counter, running his hand through his hair repeatedly. "The patient is still in the emergency room, you're going to have to wait in the lobby sir." The nurse finally said.

"Can I see her? Is she gonna be okay?" He asks, not really sure he wants to know the answer. Somehow, he knew if would be far from what he's hoping for. "Is she gonna be okay?" He asked again, demanding answer from the station nurse.

"I can't tell that you right now sir. You're going to have to wait in the lobby." The nurse ordered again, but Lucas just paced in front of the counter. Knowing that making a scene wouldn't do any good, he retreated towards the lobby, along with other people who had already been there earlier.

About half an hour had passed and he must've covered about a couple of miles by pacing around the lobby, watching out if there's any news about Brooke. He had to stop when he heard someone speak. "Can you stop!?" A feminine voice said.

"Excuse me?" He asks, he really didn't want to deal with psychotic people right now. All he wants to do is see Brooke, see that she's okay, and apologize to her, but he knows that won't be the case.

"I said stop. Stop pacing around and sit like the rest of us. You've been pacing around since you got here! It's driving me crazy!" She says, as she watched one of the rooms as if expecting someone to come out of it.

Lucas couldn't say a word anymore, so he just followed. He took a seat. He couldn't believe he's being lectured by a teenager. She has a point, though. "Is anyone here for a Brooke Davis?" A familiar face came into the lobby. It didn't take Lucas more than a second to get up from his seat an approach the doctor.

"I'm here for her. Is she okay? Can I see her now?" He was fast to ask questions, not being able to identify himself in front of the doctor.

"I'm sorry but I need to speak to a family member, how are you related to the patient?" The doctor asked, looking him straight in the eye.

"She's my fiancée!" He says, louder than he should've. "I was with her, the day you operated on Angie, I was with her!" He told the doctor, hoping he believes him.

"I'm sorry, but I need to speak to an immediate family member." The doctor explained, but Lucas insisted.

"But I'm here, you can tell me! Please, I just need to know how she's doing." He begged. From the corner of his eye, he saw Karen and the others arrive.

"I'm really sorry, but it's hospital policy." The doctor complained.

"Lucas! Where's Brooke? Is she okay?" Karen asked, realizing that was a pretty stupid question. Haley followed and asked if he's able to see her. Everyone seemed to have missed the presence of the doctor, who then excused himself and asked who Karen is.

"I'm Brooke's aunt." She says, looking the young man in the eye, barely holding back her tears. Not one of them was shocked by what Karen did. Their need to know Brooke's condition is much, much greater than Karen's lie.

"Can I talk to you in private ma'am?" The doctor asked, ushering Karen to a less crowded part of the hospital.

Karen just shook his head no. "It's okay, what you want tell me, you can tell this people. They are Brooke's friends." She explained. If only she knew how much pain that brought to the three people around her. They haven't been the friends they should've been to Brooke these past couple of days.

"I'm Dr. Ethan Copeland, I'm your niece's attending physician. I don't know if you are aware, she had just been in a car accident. She suffered major head injuries." The doctor began. To this, Haley started crying, while Nathan tried his hardest to comfort her. Andy did the same for Karen. Lucas clutched a fist in his chest. He didn't know if he can bear to hear the next words.

"There are whiplashes on the left side of her body and neck. We also found out that her body had some bruises that didn't come from the accident. Plus, the bruises on her face aren't exactly hard to miss." The doctor continued, this time Karen was a little confused.

"What do you mean not from the accident?" Karen asked, and then turned to the others who didn't look as confused as she and Andy were.

"From the bruising, we could tell that your niece had been physically assaulted. Some bruises are still very fresh, it could've happened a few days ago." Dr. Copeland explains, to this, Lucas gave a violent reaction.

"No, she told Peyton she fell down the stairs." He argues, as if telling the doctor that they have made a mistake. Plus, if Brooke had been physically assaulted, he'd know, right?

"I'm sorry, but our findings are strong. She had a very visible hand print on her right arm, and another one on her neck. Plus, her black eyes are hard to miss." Dr. Copeland explained as he scanned a chart with his eyes.

Haley's sobs just got more intense. Nathan had to hold her tighter while he tried to stay strong for his wife. "Oh my God." Lucas felt as if his heart was just ripped apart. Brooke was physically assaulted, and he didn't even notice.

"She suffered bone fracture on her left arms and leg. On the way here they almost lost her because of her sudden BP drop. " Dr. Copeland continued. Lucas wasn't sure if he could still, much less want to hear the end of it.

"Is she gonna be okay?!" His voice was little too demanding. It was as if his mind was rejecting all the things that he just heard the doctor say.

"Mr.."

"Scott. Lucas Scott."

"Mr. Scott. I know this is very unfortunate, but you're lucky your fiancée even made it back here alive." One of the hardest jobs a doctor should do is to face a patient's family, especially if the said patient has a lesser chance of surviving.

Lucas ignored the questioning looks from Nathan and Karen, as Haley was still busy crying. "Just tell us the truth, is she going to be okay?!" He demanded once again, even deep down he's scared as hell to hear it.

The truth is painful, especially when it hits close to home. It is by far the hardest thing to tell a patient's loved one. It is hard, and more often than not, it hurts. "I'm going to be honest with you, like I said, your fiancée is lucky to even make it here alive. There is a very low possibility that she comes out of this, but I don't want you to lose hope. This hospital is doing everything it can to save lives, and I assure you, we're doing everything we can to save Ms. Davis." Dr. Copeland finished as he saw everyone nod. Lucas however couldn't take it anymore and walked out on the rest of them.

"Nathan, you should get him, please, I can't do it right now." Haley tells her husband as tears continued to fall from her eyes. Nathan nodded and followed Lucas, but not before he kissed Haley on the head and said 'I Love You'

"I'm sorry. He's just not taking this well." Karen apologized, not really sure why Lucas was acting like that. Sure it was hard on all of them, but he's just been way above them all. "Is it possible for us to see her?" She then asked.

"She's still being prepped in the ICU. Her condition is very fragile, so we need to monitor her closely. I'll send someone later to get you when she's ready." The doctor said, offering a sympathetic smile to Karen, who just nodded. "If you don't have any questions, please excuse me." He continues and with that, he left.

Nathan saw Lucas take the door to the fire exit. When he id too, he saw his brother angrily punching the wall. "Luke! What are you doing?!" He asks, worried about his brother's actions.

"I should've been there! I should've been there for Brooke, just like I should've been there for Q! I could've saved them both and this couldn't have happened!" He says, his voice echoing to other floors, as he continued to punch the wall.

Nathan shook his head, letting out an irritated laugh. He really doesn't need this from his brother now. "But you're not!" He shouted at him, causing Lucas to look Nathan in the eye. "Luke, you're not some superhero who can easily dodge a bullet! For the same reason that you couldn't have super sped and save Brooke from that accident!" Lucas had nothing to say, rather he didn't know what to say.

"Look, as much as I want to be here, I'd rather be with my wife, I'd rather be with Karen, and I'd rather be there for Brooke, instead of having to listen to all of your crap on why you weren't able to save them, because face it Luke, you can try to save everybody, but you still wouldn't be able to. Hell, I don't think superman will." He says, hoping it knocks some sense into Lucas' head. With that, he left to go back to where he left Haley.

"That was kind of harsh, don't you think?" She focused on the guy next to her who witnessed the same exact conversation earlier. The guy just shrugs and offers a smile to her. "So what's the deal with this Keith? Am I dead?" She asks, and he's left yet to give an answer.

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Soooooo. There. Yeah, I know, right? So, did I bore you? Anyway, thanks to all of those who reviewed. It's good to know I'm not the only one that's so angry about how things are going in tree hill. So what did you think? Should I continue with this? Any suggestions?

For those waiting for the next chapter of 'Dinner Turned Engagement', I'm sorry but it's not going good, I'n not even a quarter done. sigh REALLY SORRY.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is very, very late. I know. It's just that school is kicking my ass! I can't believe I actually had this done. I'm starting with the next chapter, and hopefully I'l get it done faster than this one. For those waiting for 'Dinner Turned Engagement', it's still on the works, so...yeah. I won't be posting it yet. Just so you guys know, I didn't watch 6.04 and 6.05, yeah. It's making me feel crappy and I don't like that. Anyways, here it is.

**Title:** What Does It Take, For You To Open Your Eyes?

**Chapter 3:** It Takes A Closer Look

"So what's the deal with this Keith? Am I dead?" The moment the question left her lips, was when she saw Keith exit the door. As much as she wanted to stay and look after Lucas, her need to follow him prevailed. As she stepped out of the door, their surroundings changed, and she realized they were now at her store. "Okay that was creepy." She says as she watched Keith wander around the place.

"Tell me something Brooke..." She heard him say. It took her by surprise in a really mysterious, kind of creepy way.

"Okay? Like what?" She asks, a smile managing to cross her lips. She cocks and eyebrow at him when he only offered her a shrug.

"I don't know, like, why didn't you tell your friends? Or why are you so okay with this, I mean, you could be dead." He says, and the smile that was earlier on the brunette's face turned to confusion. Keith waited for an answer, but nothing came. When he realized that, he took it as his cue to speak again. "Let me show you something." He says, asking Brooke to follow him as he stepped out of the store.

Once again, they were transported into another place. "Okay, you really have to tell me that every time I step out of a door, I'm bound to end up somewhere else." Brooke tells him, amused again. It seemed she had forgotten what he had asked her earlier.

Keith just smiled at the brunette, and asked her to observe. She's positive they're in the living room of Lucas' house. It was the same as she pictured it years ago, same furniture, same arrangement, same everything. "What are we doing here?" She asks in a whisper, as if they'll actually be seen if someone walks in.

"I just want to show you something." Keith says, as he entered the door to Lucas' room. There, Peyton was lying in bed. She looks like she hasn't slept for days, dry tears visible on her face. Suddenly, someone emerges from the bathroom, which caught the brunette by surprise.

"Why is Lucas here? Didn't we leave him in the hospital?" She asks, as she turns to Keith, who just asked her again to watch at the scene before her.

"Peyton..." Lucas' voice was soft, he was about to leave but before he did, he turned to the blonde one last time.

"I don't want to go. I can't." The blonde replied, not minding to look at Lucas. He let out an irritated laugh, it's like they've gone through it before and he's already tired.

"You know what? I never knew you were this selfish." He spats out. That's when she darts an angry look on her.

"Selfish? You think I'm selfish!? You don't know what I'm dealing with! You know why? Because you're always out! Since the accident, you were always at the hospital!" She shouts back at him, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

He doesn't look hurt though, if anything, he looks surprised. "Are you serious? It's been a week! Brooke's your best friend! I thought you'd be the first one to be there for her, I was obviously wrong, wasn't I?" He bites back. "I'm not apologizing for being there for her, the same reason I'm not apologizing for this fight again." He continues. The next thing Brooke sees, Lucas slammed the door as he stormed out of the house.

"Oh my God. Peyton." Brooke had to cover her mouth with her hand. She didn't think the two would fight about the accident, much less, about her. "Lucas doesn't understand." She says as she shook her head no. "Peyton, she hates hospitals. When she goes in them, I always go with her." She continues and Keith just nods as they continue to watch a broken blonde continue to cry.

"I don't understand Keith, is this...is this the future?" Brooke asked again, while she shifted her gaze from Keith to Peyton, then back again.

"Not really. Time here just passes more quickly." Keith explained, and Brooke's eyes grew wide.

"You mean what felt like an hour is already a week in reality?" She asks and Keith shrugs once again.

"It's like a videotape, you know, you only watch the most important parts. The less important ones, you skip through." Keith explains once again as he asked the brunette to follow him again.

Before Brooke stepped out of the door, she caught one last glimpse of Peyton, if only she could be there for her. When she turned to Keith once again, she realized they were again in a different place. She could see students running around with their big bags on their backs. That's when she saw Jamie. He was holding a big card in his hands as he ran towards Haley who was waiting for him by the car.

"Momma! Momma! Look, I made this for Aunt Brooke." He says as she rushed towards Haley. A smile crossed her face as she looked at the card. Brooke too, wanted to see what was written, but Haley had closed it before she could take a look.

"Your aunt Brooke will love this. Get in, she's been waiting for you for a week!" Haley tells Jamie with a smile on her face, as she opened the door to their expedition. Jamie excitedly jumped in, Brooke however didn't miss the sudden change in Haley's expression from a smile to a frown.

"Okay, so I have a question, I'm in a coma?" She asks and when she sees Keith nod, she continues. "So when do I wake up?" She says as she waited for Keith to give her an answer.

It took him quite a while before he spoke. "That depends." He says. Brooke didn't really get what it meant. Depends on what? She thought to herself.

"What do you mean?" She asks once again as curiosity piqued her mind.

"You'll see. Let's go, we should be getting back." Keith tells her, and as she walked towards him, she watches the colourful surrounding fade into a clean white. They were back at the hospital.

She notices Jamie and Lily standing just outside of a room. It then occurred to Brooke that it must be her room. "Come on Brooke, I need to show you something." Keith says as he stood just outside the door.

Brooke's feet seemed to have glued itself in place. She couldn't make herself take another step. "Keith...I...I can't." She says, and even though she wanted to step forward, her feet did the opposite. As she did, she hears a familiar voice she's not sure she wants to hear.

"I'm here for Brooke Davis." She hears the woman's voice. When she turned around, she saw her mother, dressed in her CEO-ish attire, looking like she wants to bite the nurse's head off.

"F-first door, on your left." She heard the nurse reply, almost choking. Victoria Davis could do some real damage, especially when you don't feel so confident about yourself.

"Bitch..." Brooke muttered to herself as she watched her mother walk towards her room, before she knows it, she's already following her, completely oblivious to the fact that Keith had already disappeared.

The next words she hears were, "What are you doing here?" says Victoria, as she saw her daughter's room packed with her friends. Honestly, she was hoping for her mother to ask, along the lines of "How's my daughter." Or maybe "Is my daughter safe." But no, clearly, Victoria had something else in mind.

Brooke then saw herself. All kinds of tubes were attached to her. Her eyes actually grew wider when she saw a tube down her throat. That's when she started to panic. She looked for Keith, but he was nowhere in sight. "Keith! Keith! Where are you?" She called out. She stepped out of the room. She just couldn't bear to listen to them, much less, see her body in its current state.

Back in Brooke's hospital room, Karen immediately stood up to tell Victoria off. "We've been here for the last week, for the whole time that you weren't here. I don't think you should be asking us that question." Karen says, everyone was silent until Victoria replied.

"How dare you! That's my daughter there, and last time I checked, none of you are related to her. I don't want any of you here. Get out!" She orders, her voice rising as she directed all the people in the room. Jamie stood behind Haley, while Lily asked Andy to carry her.

All of them worried when Brooke's machine suddenly flat lines. "Somebody call a doctor!" Lucas shouted as he rushed towards the brunette's side. For the whole week, he wasn't able to touch her, afraid that he might hurt her in her fragile state, but now is a different story. He felt the need to hold her, like an assurance that she won't go anywhere. He needed her to fight, for herself, for him, for everyone actually.

In no time, Dr. Copeland, along with a bunch of nurses came into the room, "Get everybody out of here. Now!" He ordered. Most of them did as they were told. Hell, if Lucas saw it right, he's positive that Victoria doesn't give a damn that her daughter just flat lined. Him, however, refused to leave her side.

"No! I need to stay with her." He says firmly, still holding onto Brooke's hand. Dr. Copeland must've realized there's no way the blonde would get out so he ordered for one of the nurses to stay with Lucas.

"What's happening to her?!" He shouted as he tried to take a look at the brunette, who seemed so lifeless in front of him.

"_What's happening to me?!_" She saw her hands fade into nothingness, which caused her to panic. She needed to get out of there, fast. Before she knows it, she was running aimlessly away from them all.

"Sir, you need to calm down." A nurse had to hold him back, as he practically almost jumped to the brunette's side.

"_Brooke you need to calm down._" A warmth feeling suddenly engulfed her. As she looked up, she saw Keith's smiling face, slightly relieved, thousands of questions ran through her head.

"What's happening to me? I'm...I'm fading away..." She says as she looked at her hands which were nearly invisible.

"Just calm down Brooke, calm down." Keith told her, his voice was soft, bringing every feeling of anxiety inside of her at peace.

She heaved a sigh, in an attempt to calm herself. Once she was, she asked him. "Am I going to die?" She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer to that, but she asked anyway.

"That depends." It was Keith's answer again. He smiled at her and asked the brunette to come with him once again. They're back at the hospital room, but everything was different. Jamie and Lily weren't there anymore. Or any of her friends, but just Lucas.

"I don't understand, where's everyone?" She asked, turning to Keith with a questioning look. He just smiled at her, as if telling her everything's okay. That's when she heard Lucas speak.

"Hey there pretty girl." He begins as he held her hand, forcing a tight lipped smile. Brooke hadn't heard that nickname since high school. "So you think you could wake up now?" He continues and as Brooke sees what's happening, she gets the feeling to get out of there. She sees him shake his head, then spoke again.

"Jamie misses you. He keeps on going on about coming here. He says his weekends are the best because he gets to see you." Lucas tells her as if he knows Brooke could hear him. As the brunette heard his words, she knew she needed to stay, she needed to hear the end of it.

"My mom says hi too, and Lily, she's like Jamie, always looking forward to visiting you here on weekends." He tells her again, but this time, Brooke doesn't miss the fact that Lucas' voice cracks.

"She's been so busy, about your company and all. We were so surprised when Atty. Sanders just showed up telling us that you signed a power of attorney for her to take over while you're...away." He continues, Brooke sees him not looking at her anymore. He had his eyes closed, like he was trying to stop tears.

"You should've seen Victoria's face. She couldn't believe it." He says, a genuine smile crossing his lips, along with some tears that now escaped from his eyes. "I wish you were there to see for yourself." He continues, this time he kissed her hand.

"Keith, I don't understand. What's happening?" She asks as she saw the broken blonde in front of her. Keith just smiled at her, and just asked her to listen more.

She saw him get up from his seat and started pacing in front of her bed. Brooke was confused, but she continued to watch him anyway. He ran a hand through his hair, followed by a deep sigh. "He's nervous. Why is he nervous? Did Peyton and him get married while I'm in a coma?" She asks, turning to Keith, hoping he won't just give her a smile, but he did.

"It's been a while. Well, not really, it's been half a year, and a lot of things happened. I don't know how to tell you this Brooke...but..." She heard him say, until another person came into the room. It was Peyton.

"Practicing how you're gonna tell her again?" She asks, her tone a lot more different than the one she had witnessed back at Lucas' house. He offers her a hopeful smile and nods.

"I think we should do it together." Peyton suggests, and Lucas just smiles and nods. "Hey there B. Davis." Peyton started as she walked towards the brunette's side. "Aren't you looking good today. How about you wake up now? Lucas and I have some big news to tell." She says, then looks over to Lucas.

When there was no change in the brunette's condition, Peyton looked over to Lucas' direction then started speaking again. "Lucas and I..." The blonde's voice started to fade away, as were the scenery around them.

"Keith? What happened? What were they gonna tell me?" Brooke asked, eager to know what it is.

"It's time." Keith says, as he looked on one side of the hospital, a bright light shining through.

"It's time? For what?" She asks, as she looks over at the same direction he's looking.

"You can stay here, watch the people you love, see how their lives turn out, even though you're not in it, or, you can go and get the chance to be with them again, but you won't be so sure if you'll live. So, what will it be Brooke?" Keith asks and looks intensely into the brunette's eyes.

"I...You asked me earlier why I didn't tell them, I know now why. It's for the mere reason that I don't want any of them to worry about me, not because I don't want them to think of me, but I don't want to add to their burdens. And the way I'm looking at it, I'm having them all extremely worried, when I'm just here, and I'm fine!" Brooke says a small laugh escaping her lips.

"I don't want to just focus on the most important parts of life but on every event there is. I don't want to miss out on Jamie's birthdays, or Lily's requests for dresses for Barbie. I don't want to leave Peyton or Nathan, or Haley, or Lucas. I want to be there during their wedding. I want to make Peyton's dress. I want to be there when Rachel finally comes back...I guess what I'm saying is that I want to be there with them again, and if there's a chance that I might die, then I'm willing to take it, because the reward is much bigger than the risk." She finishes, a single tear drop falling from her eyes.

"I knew you'd make the right decision." Keith says as he nods towards the light.

"If I live, will I remember this? Am I going to recall everything I've seen?" She asks before she walks away from Keith.

"When you do, let me know." Keith says, and with that, the brunette pulls him into a hug.

"Thank you." She mumbles onto his shoulder. "I wish I'd remember so I can tell Lucas how great you are, and that you're looking after all of us." She says, then pulls out of the hug. Slowly, she backed away from him and walked towards the light. And then...

Thanks to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. And to you, if you're reading this now, Thank you! Go hit that review button! Any ideas?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to al those who reviewed last time. I promise to make this part longer next chapter, I'm just too eager to update and well..here it is.

**Title:** What Does It Take For You TO Open Your Eyes?

**Chapter 4:** Six months, Two weeks, Three days, Plus a Couple more hours

She let out a hoarse grunt as she tried to open her eyes. Looking around, she tried to remember the last thing that happened to her. She remembered she was going home from Q's funeral, and then that blaring sound came. Then she sees a little boy colouring on one side of the room. "Jamie?" She calls out, her voice a lot raspier than usual.

"Aunt Brooke!" The look of delight visible on his face. His smile reached from ear to ear. Immediately, he rushed to her side, climbing the small stool that was by her bedside. "You're awake!" He continues with much excitement.

"Hey there buddy." She greets back, happy to see her godson as well. Trying to adjust into a sitting position, she noticed the I.V. that was attached on her hand. She figured that she's in the hospital, but she only knew that much.

Jamie reached a glass of water for her which she happily accepted. She felt like it had been too long since she last drank. As she was handing Jamie back the glass, she noticed the card the little guy was holding. "What do you have there?" She says, and that's when someone else walks in.

"James Lucas Scott! Are you bothering your Aunt Brooke again?" It was Haley. She hasn't looked up yet, as she was busy reading a bunch of essays, armed with a red pen in hand. And when she finally does, all that she's holding fell out of her grasp.

She froze in shock. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. She didn't move, afraid that the scene before her would turn out to be just an illusion. That was until Brooke spoke. "Haley, are you okay?" She asks, worried about her friend, she after all, just let a bunch of papers scatter around.

"Oh..Oh my God!" Haley manages to say. Trying to process what's happening she needed to take a deep breath. "You're awake." She tells herself, more than she tells Brooke. The brunette smiled at her awkwardly and nodded. "You're awake!" The thought had finally synched in. Tears started to come, and they were of pure happiness.

"I am!" Brooke says enthusiastically, she has a lot of questions in her head already. Worried as to why Haley is crying, she motioned for her to give her a hug.

"You're awake." Haley repeats once again, this time as she was hugging Brooke. She sees her son look curiously at them, and she only offered him a joyful smile. "Your Aunt Brooke's awake." She says, all at once pulling Jamie into the hug too.

When they pull out of the hug, Haley got up, still a bit hesitant to leave the brunette even for just a while. "I'll just...I'll get Dr. Copeland." She says, and Brooke just nods. Although she had a lot of questions in mind, she decided to push them back first and let all her friends explain it to her.

As soon as Haley was out of the room, Jamie too got up and grabbed the blackberry on top of the fruits table. "What are you doing buddy?" Brooke asks, confused that her godson already knows how to operate one.

"I'm calling Uncle Lucas. He said to call him if you wake up." The little boy explains, as he hit speed dial 1. A crease forms between Brooke's eyebrows. Now she's really starting to think, how long was she really out? And then, Haley, along with Dr. Copeland and a nurse came into the room.

"I'm glad to finally see you awake Ms. Davis." Dr. Copeland tells her as he brought out his stethoscope and started checking Brooke's vitals."Do you know who you are?" Dr. Copeland asked as she listened to her heartbeat. Brooke looked at Haley quizzically and nodded. "Good." Haley along with a nurse smiled genuinely at his comment.

"I'll just call our friends, tell them the good news." Haley beckoned to go out. Brooke nodded. Now she's really freaked out. Was she out long? She could hear Jamie talking, maybe Lucas had picked up.

"_No, she's really awake...Uh-huh. Just hours after you left. Dr. Copeland's taking care of her. Momma's calling the others. Yeah, ok. I'll tell her. Bye Uncle Luke. See ya." _She heard Jamie say. She found it funny that Lucas had requested Jamie to call him the minute she wakes up.

"It looks like everything's okay Ms. Davis. I'm glad you finally woke up. Just some physical therapy and you'll be out here in no time." Dr. Copeland told her as he signed her chart, the nurse exiting the room. Brooke didn't know how to behave, it's not like they were close. Sure he was Angie's doctor, but that's all.

"Thanks, I guess." She replies, offering him an awkward smile. He nods and when he's almost out of the door, Brooke felt the need to ask. "Dr. Copeland? How long was I out?"

He offered her a tender look. "Quite long, but your friends really believed in you. I guess now I know why." He says and it answers not one question in her head, but it sure did make her feel a whole lot better. As he vanished into the hallway, Brooke shifted her attention to Jamie who was yet to put back the blackberry in place.

"So, what did your Uncle Luke tell you?" Brooke asks as she pat on the space next to her. Jamie jumped to sit beside her before he answered.

"He says to tell you he'll be here as soon as he can. Three hours tops." The little guy replies, and then Haley walks back in. She stood by the door for a while, admiring the scene before her. It had just been six months too long, and right now, she couldn't be happier.

"Three hours?" Brooke asks, noticing Haley's presence, then looking at her quizzically. "Why? Where's Lucas?" She continues, directing the question to her friend.

"He's in New York, promoting his book." Haley says, as she walked towards the brunette, not really knowing how to explain everything to her if she asks.

"So, it finally got published?" She asks, and Haley didn't know how to answer.

"I know you have a lot of questions, and if you want to ask me now, I'll try to answer them as best I can, but a lot of things have changed and I don't know how I'll explain them to you." Haley tells her slowly, making sure that she's not in anyway, straining the brunette.

Brooke let out a throaty laugh, and even though she's not sure she wants to know the answer, she needed to ask. "How long exactly, was I...out?"

Jamie was silent, and he too, with Brooke, waited for Haley's answer. "Six months, Two weeks, three days, plus a couple more hours..." Haley answered nervously and Brooke didn't know if she was kidding or not. When Haley looked at her seriously, she knows her friend is far from kidding.

"You're not kidding, are you?" She asks, and even though a big part of her wanted to panic, something calmed her. It must be Dr. Copeland's words, the fact that he said her friends believed in her. "Wow! I mean, wow! I just realized that I just woke up from a coma!" Brooke shares and she laughs at herself. Haley on the other hand was far too nervous to laugh just yet.

"Haley!" Brooke squealed, getting her out of her senses. "I just woke up from a coma!" She tells him again, this time Haley too was happy.

"I know!" She jumps in front of her, earning a questioning look from her son. "Peyton will be here as soon as she can, I called Nathan too and he's on his way, and the others are going to be here tomorrow!" Haley told her excitedly.

"I knew it! This little guy here looked taller than I remember." Brooke prattled, tickling Jamie on his side. The little boy laughed, bringing happiness to Brooke and Haley. "So, what happened?" Brooke asked, now focusing on Haley.

"What do you mean?" Haley asks, trying to buy as much time as possible. She didn't think for once she could handle all of Brooke's questions.

"Come on! I was out for almost seven months! I need gossip! Did Brad Pitt and Angelina finally got married? Coz that would mean I just missed the biggest wedding of the 20th century!"

Haley laughed. She didn't expect Brooke to be...herself already, but she was happy nonetheless. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, Brad and Angie aren't married yet." Haley replies.

"Angie? What, are you two rubbing elbows now?" Brooke says, noticing how Haley addressed the actress. Haley just rolled her eyes, amused at how a person who just woke up from a coma could behave like this. After forty long minutes, Jamie sat on one of the chairs, busy drawing, while Haley tried to not tell Brooke all the drama that is Tree Hill.

"Okay, what about Peyton and Lucas? Did they got married? Don't tell me they did, because I would be soooo mad!" Brooke ranted after she heard of all the past seven month's gossip. Of course Haley decided to not tell her all the confusing events just yet.

She had to stifle a nervous laugh. "Hardly." Haley answers, and she's thankful that Brooke doesn't ask why. Instead, the brunette just raved on how she's going to make Peyton's wedding dress. Yeah, they'll see about that one, Haley thought.

"Brooke?!" A huffing voice asked, startling the two. It was Peyton. She had run from the parking lot to Brooke's room. Trying to catch her breath, she entered the room and saw Brooke look at her confused.

"P. Sawyer!" The brunette squeals, as if she wanted to get out of her bed and hug the blonde.

"Oh My God." Peyton had to stop and let reality synch in. She had to put a hand in her mouth, and needed to bite her lip just so she could stop the tears, but no matter how much she tried, they came, and before she knows it, she was crying and hugging the brunette. "I missed you so much." Peyton says, still not letting go of her friend.

Brooke looks to Haley and smiles. "I know, I'm here now." She replies as she ran her hand through Peyton's back. "Plus, it's a good thing you and Lucas aren't married yet. That means you didn't ask someone else to make your dress." Brooke joked and Peyton suddenly tensed.

"Yeah, about that—" She wasn't sure if she should tell her, and she's thankful that she cuts her off.

"Hush P. Sawyer. I will not hear it. I won't let you pay for it. I am making it for you as a gift and I will make sure you have the best wedding dress Clothes over Bros. will make! Well, next to mine of course." Brooke joked and Peyton and Haley just looked at each other nervously.

They all hear a knock from the door. It was the nurse earlier. "Hey, can I bother you for a sec.?" She asks, and both Peyton and Haley motions for her to come in.

"Yeah sure. Come on in." Haley says as she smiled at the nurse. "By the way, you two haven't officially been introduced yet, Brooke meet Rose, Rose, meet the real Brooke Davis." Haley says.

Brooke extended her hand and they shook hands. "Nice to meet you Rose, I guess I owe you my life. Thanks for taking care of me." Brooke says, as Rose smiled at her. Peyton and Haley got out of her bed and stood beside her.

"Oh no. Your fiancée hardly lets me do my job. He volunteers to do everything. He really loves you." Rose shares as she reached for Brooke's hand where the I.V. was attached. She removed the tape and smiled at the brunette. Brooke didn't realize it until she noticed the big needle already out of her arm.

"Wow, that didn't hurt at all!" She exclaims, then looking at her hand which was quite bloated. It was soon forgotten when she recalled what Rose said earlier. On the side, both Peyton and Haley were sweating already. "So my fiancée? What's he like these days?" Brooke asks, trying to find out who it is, while eyeing her two friends, giving them the 'we'll have a lot to talk about later' look.

"Oh, I think he's still the same guy who rushed towards me a couple of months ago asking me where you are. Sandy blonde, blue eyes, always seems to be in deep thought. Although I think his hair is longer now. Right?" Rose then turned to Haley and Peyton who both looked like they wanted to get out of there.

The two just nodded knowing it wasn't really bad for Brooke to find out that little secret. At least little by little all that's happened will finally be known to her. Rose finished her job and said she'll be back later. With that she left the room.

"Ok, mind telling about that?" Brooke asked as she cocked an eyebrow to Haley, then to Peyton. Both of them refused to talk first, but Haley soon spilled.

"The day of your accident, they called Lucas first and then they weren't going to tell him how your condition was if he didn't say he's your fiancée." Haley tried to explain, then looking to Peyton who just nodded.

"And you're okay with that P. Sawyer?" Brooke asked arching an eyebrow at her. Both of her friends were nervous. There still a lot of things she doesn't know, and they're afraid to tell her because she might slip into coma again. Dr. Copeland had told that as soon as she wakes up, they shouldn't strain her because it might happen.

"I don't think we should talk about this now Brooke. You just woke up. It's a really long story and I'll be willing to tell you as soon as you get out of this hospital." Peyton explains knowing the brunette will understand.

"Fine!" She pouted, her two friends quite relieved. The three of them hear Jamie chuckle. "What's so funny little man?" Brooke asked and Jamie just smile and shook his head. "I know you're still keeping all the good stuff from me, but I want to hear everything as soon as I step out of this place!" Brooke ranted and her two friends just nodded.

Clearly, Brooke waking up isn't all sun shine and bliss, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Sooooooooo? I know it's not as good as you hoped it would be, but this is what I came up and if I erased this again, I'm afraid I won't be able to continue writing. I'll try to do better next chapter. So? Leave some reviews, some suggestions if you have any and I'll be happy to consider putting them into the story. I actually haven't started it, so really, if you have any ideas, please, I'd love to hear them! :)


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